


all fun and games till someone falls in love

by iamalystark



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst with a Happy Ending, Confused Avengers, Everybody Lives, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Natasha Romanov Angst, Natasha Romanov Feels, Natasha Romanov Has Issues, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Natasha Romanov Needs a Hug, Natasha Romanov is So Done, One Big Happy Family, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Suicide Attempt, Time Loop, Time Travel, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24614971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamalystark/pseuds/iamalystark
Summary: "Morning, Nat." Tony mumbled, sighing."Morning, Tony." She replied, sitting down to pick at the oh so familiar pieces of bacon. Neither of them bothered to add 'good' to their greetings because they'd lived this day enough to know it was nowhere near good."Are you two okay?" Steve asked, tilting his head in confusion and concern."We're trapped in a time loop, Steve." Natasha answered honestly, yawning a bit.(Or, where Tony and Natasha get trapped in a time loop, and maybe figure some things out about each other along the way.)
Relationships: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Natasha Romanov & Avengers Team, Natasha Romanov/Tony Stark
Comments: 23
Kudos: 373





	1. Chapter 1

Natasha woke to Clint yelling at Tony in the kitchen. It was a regular occurrence, but still, she groaned, burying her face in her pillow.

In front of the others, she wouldn't display her annoyance so clearly, but in the comfort of her room, she was safe. 

"It was in a box that said my name!" Clint was shouting.

It was something about food, presumably, and the redhead brought her hand to her temple, rubbing at it. 

Living with the Avengers was like living a damn zoo. That, or a preschool. " _Nat_." Her best friend whined loudly, making her grimace. 

With a sigh, she finally pulled herself out of bed, running a brush through her hair and pulling on a pair of dark jeans and a shirt. 

"I'm not you mother, boys." The spy announced as she stalked from her room to the kitchen. 

Steve was bustling around making breakfast. Bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Bruce sat at the island with a cup of coffee and a tablet, while Clint stood next to Tony, arguing over something or the other. 

"It was my donut, Stark!" The archer was barking. 

"Oh my god, I'll buy you another, Jesus Christ. I could buy you a hundred donuts." The billionaire had his head in his hands as he sat two seats from Bruce. 

"But I wanted that one, this morning." The man complained, walking away and flopping onto the couch. 

Natasha raised her brow, sliding into the seat between the men. She thought, amused, that Clint was acting more like a child then his own kids. 

"He's going to hold a grudge, you know?" The woman mused, resting her head on her hand. 

"When doesn't he?" Tony groaned, looking up at her. There were grease stains on his skin and clothes, and Nat could only assume he'd been in his lab all night once again. 

"You get any sleep last night?" She inquired as Steve finished making the food. He put plates down in front of all three of them, then left one on the counter for Clint whenever he decided to stop pouting, and kept the rest for himself. 

"Sure did. A whole hour." The brunet boasted, snagging up a piece of bacon. 

His eyes fell closed and he moaned. "Marry me, Steve." He sighed. 

The blond snorted and turned to the coffeemaker, pouring a mug for Tony. 

"He can't, he's saving himself for Bucky." Clint sang, waltzing in and swiping up a piece of Tony's bacon. Nobody but Natasha noticed the way Steve stiffened uncomfortably.

Tony grabbed the archer's wrist in a bruising grip, glaring at him. "C'mon, dude, _ow_! It's payback for my donut!"

"I will buy you a donut. Touch my bacon and I will flay your skin from your bones." He growled. 

A grin flickered on Natasha's lips as she eyed them, but the opposite took over Clint's features. His eyes widened slightly in horror and he dropped the bacon, backing away with his hands up. 

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Don't murder me." He said, quickly darting over to grab his plate and run from the room. 

"Mm, Barnes will just have to share you with me." Tony said, his previous foul mood gone as Steve placed the coffee in front of him.

He took one drink and promptly spat it all over the counter. Natasha watched as some of it splattered on her shirt, her eye twitching. 

"Decaf? Who the hell put decaf in my damn coffee maker?" He exploded.

Clint cackled from down the hall. "There goes your donuts, Barton!" The billionaire shouted, and Natasha continued to stare down at the coffee stains on her shirt. 

She sighed heavily. Everyone in the room looked to her at that, then down at the coffee stain, and right back at Tony.

"Ey, would you look at that? I've got, uh, SI business to do. Bye."

The brunet grabbed his plate, and much like Clint, he sprinted from the room. 

She watched him go, then rolled her eyes. Despite what they may all think, Natasha wasn't going to murder her teammates over spilled coffee.

Especially not Tony. The spy blinked suddenly, shocked at her thoughts. What the hell did that mean? 

Before she could think on it further, JARVIS suddenly sounded an alarm. The Avengers were all up in seconds, no longer relaxed. 

"What's going on, JARVIS?" Natasha demanded, stalking down the hall to her room and changing into her tactical suit as quick as she could. 

"It seems Miss Kvalheim is attacking citizens in Times Square again." The AI said, sounding as exasperated as Natasha felt. 

The Asgardian woman had been a pain in their ass for months. She'd attack people, then either disappear before they got there, or they'd fight her and she'd disappear anyway.

"When the hell is Thor getting back?" She questioned rhetorically, adjusting her weapons on her side before she careened toward Steve's room.

"I do believe Mr. Odinson planned to return tomorrow." JARVIS said helpfully.

Natasha's nodded, and timing it just right, she watched as he stepped into the hall with his shield on his back. 

"You hear?" She questioned, following him to the elevator. 

"Yeah. I'm getting real tired of fighting aliens. Can't we stop something of this world every once in a while?" The supersoldier teased with a smile. 

"I wouldn't mind a few Chitauri if we could catch this woman." The redhead said truthfully as the lift descended. 

Steve winced. "Yeah, I'll just stick with Helka." 

A smirk tugged at her lips and without either of them having to say anything, they both got onto his bike, Natasha wrapping her arms around his waist. 

As he drove off out of the tower and down the road, ignoring all traffic laws, she thought about her friendship with him. 

A lot of people questioned their closeness, just like they did with her and every other Avenger just because they were male and she wasn't, but the way she viewed Steve, well it was more like a brother than anything else. 

The spy tensed as they neared Times Square. They couldn't see it yet, but they didn't need to, not with the loud crashes and screams. 

_"Are you guys seeing this?"_ Tony's voice came over the comms as they finally pulled up, both of them climbing off the bike and nodding at each other in an instant. 

Immediately, Nat knew what the billionaire was referring to. Helka was shooting some sort of energy blasts at anything that neared her, a crazed look on her face. 

_"I don't suppose you're going to surrender peacefully_?" Tony called to Helka as he hovered a few yards from her with his repulsors aimed at her. 

He was met with an insane grin and an energy blast in his direction. He quickly dodged of course, and nobody could see the scowl beneath his helmet. 

"What? No creative nickname this time?" Natasha said jokingly as she fired shot after shot at the crazy Asgardian. 

" _This bitch has lost nickname privileges, thank you very much."_

She knew the bullets wouldn't land, they never did, but she fired anyway. Helka spun her way, firing a ball of purple-ish light at her. 

The redhead dived behind a car, just barely managing to get out of its way. "You two are my favorites!" She yelled delightedly at the two she'd just fired at, before going back to attacking everyone in sight, which included Steve and Clint, who'd just arrived. 

" _I'm starting to think she isn't fond of us, honestly._ " The archer panted, already out of breath from having to dive out of the way of multiple blasts. 

"Didn't you hear her? She likes Tony and I." Nat returned with a smirk in her voice.

" _How could she not? We're clearly the best Avengers._ " Tony piped in, throwing a small car at Helka. 

She blinked as the woman exploded the vehicle midair, glaring. 

_"Can we cut the chatter, please?_ " Steve barked, exasperation seeping from his voice. 

" _Don't be boring, Capsicle._ " Tony complained, and Natasha peered over the hood of the car she was hiding behind, catching sight of Helka, who was in the process of throwing a ball of light at her. 

She could either stay behind the car and get caught in the explosion, or jump out into the open where she'd be fired at immediately.

The spy cursed herself for letting herself get in that position, and hurled herself into the road, tucking and rolling. 

Like she'd predicted, the Asgardian took that as opportunity to attack. Though, this time the ball of energy she released look different. So did the look on her face.

Nat tried to dodge it, of course, and barely registered Tony's " _Natasha_!" before the Iron Man suit was suddenly picking her up at high speed.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to get out of the blast zone, and they were both hit, getting knocked out of the air. 

The redhead's eyes squeezed closed, instinctively tightening her hold around Tony's suit as they hit the pavement. 

She rolled from his arms, gasping for breath. Whatever that blast was had sent a searing pain through her entire body. 

From the sound of Tony's groans beside her, she could guess his reaction was the same. 

"Ow." He whined. Natasha huffed out a laugh, and made to pull herself up, when she heard Clint curse. 

" _She's gone. How does she even do that?"_

The woman let herself drop back to the ground, not caring at the moment about keeping up her image, in too much pain to mind.

" _Stark, Romanoff, are you guys alright?"_ Steve interrogated, sounding out of breath. All of them usually were after dealing with Helka.

They groaned in unison. The supersoldier let out a tired laugh. 

"Let's get back to the tower. Hopefully Thor can help us find her when he gets here tomorrow."

Sighing, Natasha pulled herself to her feet, wincing as her entire body pulsed in pain at the movement. 

"You alright, Nat?" Tony questioned as he too stood.

"I'm fine." She assured with a nod, before striding off to find Steve.

The blond gave her a small, exhausted smile, and they both got onto his motorcycle without promoting.

The redhead wrapped her arms around him loosely, leaning her head against his back. She was normally never this wiped. Hell, she hadn't even felt like this after the Battle of New York or the fall of SHIELD.

Her eyes slowly began to flutter, and no matter how hard she tried, Natasha couldn't seem to clear her mind of the sudden fuzziness that had filled it. 

Her awareness of the world began to filter in and out. 

"- _ark. . . he's falling!_ " The spy's eyes found Tony's quickly descending figure, and she couldn't even be shocked, as the world suddenly began slipping from her. 

The last thing she felt before everything went dark was Steve's sudden death grip on her arm as she fell backward.

* * *

"It was in a box that said my name!" 

Natasha's eyes snapped open in an instant, and she sat up with a frown. After passing out like that, she'd expected to wake up in the medbay with Bruce fussing over her. 

" _Nat_." Clint whined from the kitchen, and her frown deepened. Was he still upset about the donut? 

She climbed out of bed slowly, becoming increasingly aware of the lack of pain. There was no way she'd be completely healed by the next day, she'd still feel at least a little bit of aching. 

The redhead dressed in a different set of clothing than she'd worn yesterday and glanced out the window. 

It was day time, morning. If it wasn't the next day, had she been unconscious for a few days?

"JARVIS, what day is it?" Nat asked, starting toward her door. 

"The date is Wednesday, June 18th, Agent Romanoff." 

She faltered. There had to be something wrong with the AI's coding. Natasha had never lost track of the date in her life. She always knew when it was. 

"What are you talking about, JARVIS? Wednesday was yesterday." She said slowly. 

"No, Miss. Yesterday was Tuesday, June 17th." He argued, sounding confused. 

The agent bit her lip, stalking from her room and toward the kitchen. She could ask Tony what was wrong with JARVIS. 

"It was my donut, Stark!" Clint was shouting as she approached. 

Natasha blinked. He'd said all of this yesterday. Was this one of his dumb pranks?

"Yeah, and I already told you yesterday I'd buy you some more damn donuts!" Tony cried at him, his face contorted in anger and confusion. 

"What the hell are you talking about? You ate it last night!" 

Natasha stood in the doorway, observing the others. Bruce sat in the same place with the same mug of coffee and the same tablet, while Steve bustled about the kitchen making breakfast. 

Her eyes landed on the bacon he was cooking, and she stiffened. The blond never once made the same breakfast twice in a row. 

"No, I ate it Tuesday night." Tony was arguing, bemused. 

"And it's Wednesday, dumbass." Clint growled, and looked to Natasha to confirm his statement. 

Tony looked to her then. Blinking, she thought of what she'd said the day before. "I'm not your mother, boys." 

The words left a heavy feeling in her stomach, and she watched Clint storm over to the couch and flop down onto it. 

Tony was looking wide eyed at her, but Natasha ignored that, turning to the man making breakfast with narrowed eyes. 

"Steve." 

He looked up, a smile on his face. "Yeah?"

"What did you make for breakfast yesterday?" She interrogated.

He furrowed his brows, clearly wondering how she had forgotten. "Uh, blueberry pancakes and sausage. Why?"

The redhead couldn't find a hint of anything but truth on his face or in his words, and her heart sank. 

A theory was swirling in her head in seconds, and very slowly, she sat down between Bruce and Tony again. 

The brunet gave her a look. "Nat, do you-?"

"He's going to hold a grudge, you know?" She asked through her teeth, staring him straight in the eyes. 

He blinked, his eyes widening, and he understood. 

Slowly, he replied, "When doesn't he?"

Natasha didn't bother asking if he got any sleep, tracking Steve's movements as he put down the plates in front of them. Tentatively, Tony took a bite of bacon, a small frown on his face. 

Just like before, when Clint walked in, he tried to take a piece of Tony's food. 

He caught the archer's hand faster this time, barely mustering a threatening look.

"C'mon, dude, _ow!_ It's payback for my donut." He complained, tugging from Tony's grip. 

"He'll buy you another." Natasha said flatly. 

"Okay, okay, don't murder me!" He squeaked, terrified at the look Nat gave him, before he scurried off with his plate. 

Within minutes, Steve was walking toward Tony with a mug of coffee in his hands. "Don't give me that decaf shit." Tony warned, glaring at the offending liquid. 

The blond frowned. "How do you tell if it's decaf?" 

The billionaire fumbled over his words. "I- Uh, I saw Clint put it in there." He lied.

Steve brought it to his nose, sniffed, and shrugged, before dumping it down the drain. 

If Natasha was right, if this was really what she thought it was, the alarm would be going off any moment.

"What the hell is going on, Nat?" Tony was leaned toward her to whisper into her ear. 

She swallowed, and glanced at the clock. 9:46. The alarm sounded. Standing with a grim face, she turned to Tony. 

" _Time loop_." She mouthed, but the second it went off, she could see the realization in the genius's eyes. 

Why the hell were they living the same day over again?


	2. Chapter 2

After stalking off to change into her tactical suit, Natasha didn't bother going to find Steve, instead taking the elevator to the lab where Tony was suiting up.

"Nat." He breathed, relieved, and met her eyes. "I'm not crazy, right? Well, obviously I'm a bit crazy, but it was Wednesday yesterday, right? We fought Kvalheim yesterday, right?" 

"We did. I'm assuming it was the blast she shot at us." The spy agreed, having connected the dots a few moments after she figured out what was going on. 

"So, what? Just avoid the blast this time?" Tony questioned, frowning. 

Her brows furrowed slightly, Natasha shook her head. "I don't think it's that simple. She'd be expecting us to try to dodge it. I think we have to detain her." 

The billionaire groaned, the faceplate snapping into place. "Great, that'll be easy." 

She didn't have to hear the tone of his voice to sense the sarcasm in it. "Need a lift?"

The redhead shrugged, walking over and hooking her arms around the suit's neck. After locking an arm around her waist, Tony shot out of the tower and into the sky towards Times Square. 

When they finally got there, Tony set Natasha down and watched her dart off behind a car (this one with other possible covers nearby).

" _What the hell did you do to Natasha and me_?" The brunet demanded, firing a blast at the Asgardian bitch.

 _"Huh? What are you talking about, Stark_?" Clint questioned confusedly, shooting an exploding arrow at Helka, only for it to be launched back at him and blow up midway. 

"I told you, you're my favorites! Once you figure out why, I'll let you go!" The crazed woman shouted, a strange energy shield surrounding her. 

_"Is it because we're outrageously sexy?"_

Natasha held back a smirk. _"Nat, what the hell is he talking about? She did something to you two?"_

"Tell you later." The spy whispered quietly, having no time to fill her friend in. 

Without warning anyone, she lunged out from behind the car, sprinting at the Asgardian in a completely random zigzag pattern.

She'd learned long ago to not think when fighting, just act. 

" _What the hell are you doing_?" Steve cried over the comms, but she ignored him, and she flung a large piece of metal from the ground at Helka. 

It bounced off her shield uselessly, and her insane eyes found Natasha. "No!"

"Natasha!" It was Steve crying out her name, and within a second the supersoldier had shoved her out of the way from Helka's blast. 

"Idiot!" The redhead growled as she was thrown to the ground, springing back up just in time to watch the alien literally disappear. 

"Fuck! Where did she go?" Tony shouted, landing down by the pair. 

"Hell if I know." She sighed, looking to Steve. She stiffened. 

"Steve?" For the first time in a very long time, her voice wavered. 

_"Wha- is he okay?_ " Clint asked over the comms, making his way down from a nearby roof. 

"Holy. . . Rogers? Rogers, get the fuck up." Tony hissed, stepping out of his suit. 

Natasha fell to her knees by his side, pressing two fingers to his neck. His wide, unblinking eyes stared up at the cloudy sky without fail. 

There was no heartbeat. The blast he took for her, it tore him open. His stomach was unrecognizable, blood and. . . other things everywhere.

"O-oh. Oh." She sat back, her arms on her knees. 

"He's. . ?" Clint came to a slow stop behind them. 

"We- We have to find Helka." Tony began, his breathing heavy. "She can reverse this, she can bring him back." 

"Tony. . ." The archer had tears in his eyes as he spoke lowly at the billionaire. 

"No!" He shoved Clint away, stepping backwards. 

Natasha took a deep breath. "Tomorrow. We'll catch her tomorrow." She met Tony's eyes, a meaningful look on her face. 

The man huffed out a breath, running his hands through his hair. They all flinched in unison as they heard a camera go off. Her head snapping to the side, Natasha locked eyes with the suddenly terrified reporter. 

Stalking over fluidly, the woman grabbed his wrist and tore the camera from him, slamming it onto the ground. "Get the hell out of here!" She snarled, and watched as he sprinted away. 

"Guys." 

Tony and Natasha looked to Clint, who pointed at the many screens displayed all around them. Captain America's dead body was exhibited for all to see.

Tony got in his suit and flew off in seconds. Natasha turned around, her face blank, and she got on Steve's bike and drove off. 

* * *

Sitting in the living room and watching the news report was jarring for all of them. All of them besides Tony, of course, who had locked himself away in his lab. 

Clint, Bruce and Natasha all sat together silently, none of them daring to speak up. Bruce had a slight green tint to his face, and Clint looked pained, while Natasha wasn't showing any of her emotions. 

Inside, she was sick, _hurt_. Her mind was racing, she was confused. She wanted so desperately to tell Clint about the time loop, to have someone else understand that wasn't Tony. 

Tony wasn't a spy, he wasn't an agent like her, he wouldn't be able to figure it out like Clint would. 

There was no point telling him now, though. Not when they couldn't break the loop, not today. Even if the opportunity presented itself right that moment, she would wait. 

Steve wasn't staying dead, not when it was her fault he was. Taking a deep breath, she decided that tomorrow was a day for planning. She would force everybody to remain in the tower, she would explain everything. They'd come up with a plan, and the day after that, they'd execute it. 

"Nat?"

She didn't respond. Standing up, Natasha stalked off to her room and slammed her door behind her. 

Just two more days. Two more days. She could do this.

* * *

"It was in a box that said my name!" 

Natasha's eyes flicked open. She took a breath, and she sat up. "The date, JARVIS?"

"It is Wednesday, June 18th, Agent Romanoff." The AI answered helpfully. 

Breathing out a small sigh of relief, she stood. After getting dressed, the redhead immediately careened down the hall to the kitchen. 

Immediately, her eyes locked on Steve, who was yet again bustling around the kitchen to make breakfast. 

She might've hugged him had she not noticed the look Tony was giving Clint. 

" _Nat_." Her friend whined, looking to her. 

Natasha took a breath. 

"Shut the fuck up about the goddamn donut!" Tony yelled, seething. Everybody went silent, looking at him. 

"Clint, sit your ass down. Bruce, put the tablet away. Steve, leave the food." Nat commanded, her face hard. 

"What? Why? It's _bacon_ -" 

"Shut up." She spat, silencing the startled archer. 

"O-Okay, Nat, calm down." Steve placated, turning off the burners. "Guys, let's just go to the living room and hear what she has to say."

She watched as they all slowly made their way into the communal areas and settled into the couches. Then, she turned to Tony, who still sat at the island. 

"Come on. We have to explain." 

He scoffed, walking over and dropping down into a chair with his arms crossed. He was agitated, and if the emotions swirling in his eyes were any indication, he was afraid. 

"Okay, what's wrong?" Bruce asked, concern in his face as he leant forward. 

"Helka is going to attack today." 

Immediately, they stood up, alarmed. "Sit down!"

Tony huffed out a small laugh at their slightly scared reactions. "If she's going to attack, shouldn't we go and stop her?" Steve asked, his brows furrowed. 

"No. Not today. We'll stop her tomorrow." Tony sighed out, rubbing his hand down his face. 

"How the hell will we stop her tomorrow if she's attacking today?" Clint questioned, his voice rising incredulously.

"Because tomorrow is today. Yesterday was today. It's the third today in a row." Tony snapped, glaring. 

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"What he's saying is that the first Wednesday, June 18th, Helka attacked. She blasted me and Tony with some sort of energy and we keep replaying the same day." Natasha delineated. 

They all kind of stared at them for a moment, before Clint lit up. "Like Groundhog day?"

"Like Groundhog day." She confirmed, nodding. 

"So this is the third Wednesday then?" Bruce interjected, his brows furrowed. 

"Yes. And we're figuring out how to solve it." 

There was a sudden sharp intake of breath from Tony as he eyed the clock, and Natasha looked too, seeing 9:45 displayed.

"Don't sound the alarm, JARVIS." The billionaire commanded, just as the clock struck 9:46. 

"Alarm for what? Is Helka attacking?" Bruce leaned forward, eyes wide. 

"Yes. Now listen. The first day, Tony and I passed out and woke up to you arguing over the damn donut again," she looked pointedly to Clint, "and then we decided to try and stop her, but it didn't work and Steve-" 

Tony interrupted, "being the fucking idiot he is, got in the way of the Asgardian's attack and got his guts strewn across the cement." 

Said man blinked in shock, his hand coming to lightly brush against his stomach. "So we waited for another loop, and today we're going to figure it out. Tomorrow we beat her."

* * *

They didn't beat her. Not the next day, or the day after that. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all should request some ironwidow stories 👀

"It was in a box that said my name!"

Natasha took a deep, shaky breath. "Let me guess, it's Wednesday, June 18th." She didn't bother sitting up for a moment, just staring at the ceiling. 

"Are you alright, Agent Romanoff?" JARVIS asked, sounding concerned. 

"Call me Nat, JARVIS." The redhead sighed, sitting up. 

"Of course, Nat." 

It was currently the twenty-sixth Wednesday in a row, and as much as she tried to hide it, her patience was beginning to wear thin. 

"Fuck off!" 

Natasha winced, climbing out of bed and not bothering to change clothes, still in her sweats and one of Clint's T-shirts. When Tony started yelling was usually when she made her way to the kitchen. 

It was a familiar sight. All of them had stopped what they were doing to stare at Tony with bewildered looks on their faces. 

"Okay, man, I'm sorry, alright? What the hell's up with you?" The archer said slowly, his hands in the air. 

"Groundhog day." Natasha said softly, coming over to place her hand on Tony's arm. 

He shrugged her hand off, glaring. "What the fuck does it matter? We always tell them and we always lose! It doesn't fucking matter!" 

She merely blinked at his rage. "Time loop. Helka attacks. Do what you will." Was her explanation, before she wandered into the living room and dropping onto the couch. 

When the alarm went off, she would get up and fight like she had been, but for now she was going to lay on the couch and do absolutely nothing. 

"So Helka attacks today? Shouldn't we go stop her?" Steve questioned, his brows furrowing. 

"Sure. Times Square, 9:46." Natasha responded, squinting up at the ceiling. 

The fourth day hadn't gone at all like they'd planned. They'd staked out Times Square before Helka even got there, but still she managed to get the drop on them. That time, it wasn't just Steve that had been killed. No, that time Clint had been impaled on a jagged piece of metal and had choked to death on his own blood. 

They tried making slight alterations to their plan, tried to have everybody in different places, but it always ended in at least one person dead, and Helka growing more and more agitated. 

As if on cue, the alarm went off. Natasha hoisted herself up and followed Clint and Bruce to the quinjet. 

* * *

"It was in a box that said my name!" 

A small sigh left her. "It's Wednesday." It was always Wednesday. 

"Are you alright, Agent Romanoff?" JARVIS' reply had her eye twitching.

"I'm fine. Call me Nat." The spy said, her voice flat. 

"Of course, Nat." Sometimes she wondered if the AI took that tone just to get on her nerves. 

" _Nat_." Clint whined. She climbed out of bed, didn't change, and wandered into the kitchen to find Tony sitting in his normal spot with his head in his hands. 

"Let's take a break today." The redhead decided, taking her spot and ignoring Clint, who flopped onto the couch. 

The billionaire met her eyes and sighed, nodding. When Steve put the plates of eggs and bacon in front of them, Natasha simply closed her eyes and began eating. 

"Don't try it." 

Clint backed away from Tony's plate at her even tone, and she heard him scamper off. "Are you alright, Natasha?" Bruce questioned from beside her, and she opened her eyes to meet his slightly concerned ones. 

"Mhm." She looked at the clock. 9:45. A minute passed, and the alarm went off. 

Tony and Natasha continued to eat their bacon. 

"JARVIS, what's going on?" Steve demanded, his face going from content and peaceful to tense and worried in an instant. 

"It seems Miss Kvalheim is attacking Times Square." The AI answered. While the others sprung into action, Natasha watched them. 

"Tasha? Stark? You guys coming?" Clint asked, his eyes wide and face confused as he sprinted back into the room. 

"No, we're good." The man mumbled through a mouthful of eggs. 

"Wha- Whatever, we'll deal with whatever's wrong with you two when we get back." Steve hissed, and with that the three went off. 

"How long do you think they have?" Tony asked her once the alarm had stopped, poking at his food. 

Natasha shrugged. "An hour, maybe. She gets mad when we're not there." They'd tried not being near Helka at all, but the day always repeated. 

They'd tried staying up all night, but blacked out at midnight. They'd tried to release every weapon in their arsenal at the bitch. They'd tried everything they could think of, and it had been nearly a month of Wednesdays.

"Why the fuck does she like us anyways? Why not have an insane infatuation with Barton or Rogers? I wouldn't give a shit about a damn time loop if I wasn't the one experiencing it." 

Something she learned about the man was that he rambled when he was anxious or upset. "We are the most messed up of the Avengers." Nat chimed, tilting her head. 

Maybe that was why. 

"Yeah. We are. A good messed up, though." He met her eyes, sighing.

"Yeah. Maybe." Looking into his eyes, Natasha understood Tony Stark a bit better.

* * *

"It was in a box that said my name!" 

By the fortieth loop, they both gave up on trying to fight Helka. They'd tried everything, and no matter how great a fighter or planner either of them were, they couldn't beat Helka. 

All they could do was wait. Wait, and try to figure out why the hell the Asgardian bitch liked them. 

This time, Natasha didn't go to the kitchen, instead going down to Tony's lab and dropping into one of his spinning chairs. He'd be down soon enough.

"Hey JARVIS, what all do we know about Helka?" She asked curiously, spinning around in circles. 

"Besides the fact that she is attacking Times Square currently?" He responded sassily, just as Tony walked in. 

"Yes, besides that." 

"Are you sassing my baby?" The billionaire inquired, literally laying down on the worktable.

Natasha squinted at him as JARVIS started speaking. "Miss Kvalheim was banished from Asgard by the Allfather many years ago and somehow made her way to Earth. For two months, she has been terrorizing New York City."

That wasn't a lot of information, and as much as she wished that had given her a sudden epiphany, they already knew that. "Is that comfy?"

Tony nodded, staring up at the ceiling. The spy got up and laid next to him, her feet by his head and her head by his feet. 

"Do you think we'll ever solve this?" He whispered after a few minutes of silence. 

For the first time in her life, she wasn't sure. She didn't know if they could beat this. Her silence was his answer.

* * *

"I'm thinking, maybe she's in love with us." Tony said decidedly, his legs strewn over the chair while his upper half lied on the ground. 

Natasha snorted. "Yeah, right." 

His head lolled toward her. "What else could it be? I don't fucking get it." 

"So you've said. Multiple times." 

He sighed. 

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you two? You've been acting weird all morning." Clint had for once remained in the room with his plate of food, and he was leant against the doorway as he picked at his bacon. 

"Just thinking up on Helka." Tony replied, squinting down at the oh so familiar food in front of him. 

"I think Thor will be here tomorrow. He should be able to help us track her down." Bruce commented, peering through his glasses at his tablet. 

A small snicker left the billionaire, his hand slapping over his mouth. Natasha struggled not to smile, but failed, and for the first time in a long, long time, she laughed. 

She laughed so hard her side began to ache, and Tony wasn't far behind her, dropping his head onto the counter and shaking in laughter. 

"T-Tomorrow. Thor will be here tomorrow." Natasha cried, dropping her head into her hands and shaking it incredulously. 

"Am I missing something?" Clint whispered to Steve, who was staring at the two, open mouthed and gaping. 

"Something is wrong with them." The supersoldier murmured slowly. 

For the first time in a long time she laughed, but she also cried. Her giggling soon turned to sobs, and she dug her palms into her hands. 

"Nat? Oh geez, don't cry." Tony sighed, pulling her into his arms. 

"Bruce, do something!" Clint hissed, "Figure out what's happening to them!"

Most would think it would have been Tony to break first, she was a highly trained agent after all.

But underneath all the hardness, underneath all that red in her ledger, she was just scared. Living the same day over and over again, having to explain it to her friends time and time again, it was taxing. 

When Natasha stopped crying, she pulled away from Tony stalked down the hall, locking herself in her room. 

* * *

"It was in a box that said my name!"

She managed to avoid the billionaire for almost two weeks, locking herself in her room or taking off into the city, but she knew she had to talk to him again sometime soon. 

Before she could act on that, though, she woke to Tony's face right above her. Acting on instinct, she had him on the ground in an instant, her elbow digging into his throat. 

He let out an alarmed wheeze, his eyes wide. "Shit." Natasha leapt off of him, watching him stand. 

"What the hell was that for?" His hand was on his throat as he shot her a glare. 

"You startled me. How the hell did you get here?" She interrogated, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture. 

"How- You know I wake up before you, right? I wake up in my room six minutes before you and make my way to the kitchen. This time I came here." Tony spat. 

"Then who the hell is Clint yelling at?" Natasha shot back, frowning. 

"He's complaining to Bruce." The man replied obviously, rolling his eyes. Then he dropped onto Natasha's bed, putting his hands behind his head. "Now, you going to tell me why you've been avoiding me like a bat out of hell?" 

"I don't owe you any explanation." She huffed, looking away. 

"Uh, excuse you? You snotted on my suit and while I was being a nice person and trying to comfort you, you left me to fend for myself in this hell for twelve days. Do you know how close I came to straight up murdering Clint?" 

" _Boohoo_ , do you need a bottle, baby?" The redhead mocked angrily. 

He lunged up off the bed, anger seeping from his pores. "You don't get to freak out on me and then get upset when I ask why! I may be upset about this damn time loop but I'm not over there crying like a baby and avoiding my problems like a child!" 

Natasha spun around in rage, her fist connecting with his face with as much force as she could muster. It was almost satisfying watching him crumple to the ground. 

"Do I hit like a child too?" She spat. Tony blinked up at her in shock, blood dripping from his now crooked nose.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He coughed, sitting up. 

"Apparently showing emotion." The agent retorted, her face now carefully blank. 

Realization flooded him. "Natasha, wait, I didn't-" 

She slammed the door closed on her way out. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: suicide
> 
> i swear im working on the next chapter for the mob au, it's just coming slow

"It was in a box that said my name!"

Natasha got up, got dressed, and made her way to the kitchen. Her eyes locked on Tony first, obviously, and she saw him staring, blank faced at the counter and completely ignoring the archer. 

"Nat, help me out here." Clint whined, looking up at her. She tilted her head at the change in his words. It must be because she walked out before he could call for her. She hadn't done that before. 

Slipping into the seat beside Tony, she swallowed. "I'm not your mother, Clint." 

She didn't pay attention to him when he retreated to the couch this time. "Tony." The redhead prodded, looking to him. 

He didn't spare her a glance. "Tony, I'm sorry." 

The was enough to get everyone in the room to look at her. She never said sorry to anyone. Never. 

Tony huffed out a small laugh. "For which part?" 

"Punching you in the face. I'm not going to apologize for speaking the truth." Natasha supplied, her brow raised. 

"Your truth." Tony corrected, his fiery gaze finally meeting hers. 

Steve chose that moment to hesitantly place their food in front of them. Unbeknownst to him, that was what pushed the billionaire over the edge. 

Shooting to his feet, he threw the plate against the wall, watching it shatter. "I am tired of bacon, eggs and _fucking_ pancakes!" 

As she stared down at her own similar breakfast, Natasha found she agreed. When the brunet stormed off, she looked up, thinking of something to say.

No words came out, though, and she could only watch as he left. "Nat, what the hell was that?" Clint asked slowly, walking back over to them. 

The spy closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stood up. "It means he's tired. We're tired." With that, she went after him. 

Stepping into the elevator, she let her mask drop, running her hands through her hair in exhaustion. 

Just as the elevator doors opened, JARVIS sounded an alarm. Natasha inhaled sharply, frowning and look to the clock. 9:37. It was too early. 

"JARVIS, stop the alarm. What the hell happened?" She approached the door to his lab slowly.

"Sir is in need of immediate assistance." The AI said, and Nat could sense nothing but pure fear in his voice. 

She took off in a sprint. "Tony!" Opening the door, she spotted him immediately in the middle of the floor, laying in a pool of his own blood. 

She screamed his name again, running to him as fast as she could and nearly skipping in his blood. Her breaths were sharp as she spotted what he'd done to his arms, a long gash up both of them. "You fucking idiot!" 

The brunet only gasped, taking shuddering breaths as his eyes fluttered. 

Natasha ripped her shirt off, not caring about modesty, and tore it right in half, pressing the crumpled clothing against the heavily bleeding wounds. 

"Maybe. . . ch'nge." Tony slurred, his head lolling to the side to meet her eyes. 

"Who fucking cares if it changes anything? It wouldn't be worth it! You'd be fucking dead!" The amount of times she'd lost her cool over this loop was far exceeding any other time before it. 

He was not dying. She didn't care if it was the answer, he wasn't going to die. Nat's eyes flicked from one arm to the other, watching as the blood just kept coming. He wouldn't stop bleeding. Why wouldn't he stop bleeding? 

"Tony." She gasped yet again, the crimson liquid soaking her shirt faster than she could do anything about. 

And suddenly she couldn't hear his struggling breaths anymore. Her fearful eyes met his unmoving ones, and a shuddering breath escaped her. No. 

No. She knew death, she knew when someone was dead. Tony was dead. It was then that her teammates finally bursted into the room, panicked, but stopped dead in their tracks. 

None of them said anything, not even daring to breath. She fell back on her knees then, her arms hanging limply at her sides. 

"Oh my god." Steve choked out, and she could hear the absolutely despair in his voice. 

"I'm- I'm gonna be sick." Was Clint's follow-up, and by the sounds of it, he wasn't lying. 

Natasha breathed deeply, then, and for the first time, she was damn grateful for the time loop. She'd wake up and Tony would be okay. But there was also terror there, terror that maybe he was right, maybe he had changed things.

Tears fell from her eyes but she didn't pay them any mind, carefully standing up. (She almost slipped in Tony's blood twice.)

"N-Natasha?" Bruce stammered, a green tinge crawling up his neck. The spy shook her head and left the room, heading for the elevator. 

It was 9:56 now, and JARVIS hadn't sounded the second alarm. How long had it taken for Tony to die? By the time the clock struck 10:00, Natasha was unconscious with a bottle of sleeping pills on her dresser. 

* * *

"It was in a box that said my name!" 

Natasha shot up with a gasp, tearing her covers off and vaulting out of her bed. She stumbled as she first caught her bearings, but once she'd steadied herself she was bolting down the hall to the kitchen. 

Immediately, she found Tony sitting in his normal spot, but instead of staring at the counter, his eyes met hers in an instant. "You asshole!" She roared, seething, and stormed over to him, punching him in the face again. 

He fell backwards off the chair he sat on, catching himself before he could hit the ground and tripped slightly, holding his hands up in defense. "Nat, please-" 

The redhead shoved at his chest, breathing heavily. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you suicidal? Is that it? Why would you ever think that was okay?" 

"I'm tired, okay?" Tony shouted back at her, and she paused. 

"You're tired." It was a whisper at first, before she met his eyes. "You don't think I'm tired too? You don't think I'm so fucking done with this that I'd kill Helka in an instant if I could?" 

He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it. "Do you think that means I'm going to try and fucking kill myself?" 

"Seventy-three days."

Natasha blinked, her brows furrowing. " _What_?" 

Tony threw his arms out, looking over everyone. "We have been stuck in a damn time loop for seventy-three days! I'm tired if decaf! I'm tired of Steve's stupid eggs! I'm tired of Clint having a tantrum over his damn donut! I am tired of that Asgardian bitch that put us here in the first place!" He was screaming by the end of it, his face red and his breaths coming out in short, quick pants. 

"Like Groundhog day?" Clint asked hesitantly after a few minutes. 

Natasha turned abruptly on her heel and stalked away. 

* * *

"Cozy hiding place." Tony commented, sliding to the ground beside her. She didn't respond at first, just took another drink of the bottle of vodka in her hand. 

"Maybe it's got to be both of us." 

He glanced at her for a moment, then to the street below them. "Maybe." He agreed. 

Natasha passed him the bottle. The roof of Avengers Tower wasn't the most convenient spot to sit and drink, but it was unoccupied and quiet, so it was good enough for her.

"Do you want it to be the both of us?" Tony asked, handing it back after a large swig. 

"No." She admitted, laying back. Her legs dangled over the edge, but she wasn't at risk of falling. 

"Me neither." He whispered back, laying down beside her. 

Tears stung her eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time now, but she didn't fight them like normal. She just let them fall. 

"I don't want to die." Natasha knew that was the most vulnerable thing she'd ever said. 

"Me neither." He repeated, closing his eyes. 

"Then why'd you try to kill yourself?" Her voice broke. 

"Because this is hard. It's so fucking hard. Why couldn't Helka love literally anybody else on Earth?" The billionaire mumbled. 

Nat let out a tearful laugh, turning her head to look at him. "I don't understand why anybody would love me." 

Tony stared straight up at the sky. "Ditto."

* * *

"It was in a box that said my name!" 

Natasha dressed in jeans and a light red shirt that Pepper had bought her this time, taking her time to brush her hair and stare at herself in the mirror for a few minutes, just preparing herself. 

While physically, their bodies were reset to the way they were the original Wednesday, there was a look in her eyes that she knew would never quite leave. 

By the time she finally made her way to the kitchen, Clint had already thrown himself into the couch, and Steve was bringing plates of food over to the island. 

"Morning, Nat." Tony mumbled, sighing. 

"Morning, Tony." She replied, sitting down to pick at the oh so familiar pieces of bacon. Neither of them bothered to add 'good' to their greetings because they'd lived this day enough to know it was nowhere near good. 

"Are you two okay?" Steve asked, tilting his head in confusion and concern. 

"We're trapped in a time loop, Steve." Natasha answered honestly, yawning a bit. 

"What?" Came his bemused response. 

"A time loop. Natasha and I have been living Wednesday, June 18th for seventy-six days. Helka attacks today." Tony further explained, staring sadly at what he knew was decaf. 

He drank it anyway, and Natasha swore she saw him dying a bit inside from just the taste. 

"If she's going to attack, shouldn't we stop her?" Steve questioned at the same time Clint said, 

"Like Groundhog day?" 

"If you want to die horribly, then sure." Nat conversed, shoving a bite of pancake into her mouth. 

"Shit." Clint blinked. 

"Maybe Hulk could help?" Bruce suggested, looking worriedly to his teammates. 

"Hulk can die too, you know?" Tony told him. 

He looked up at the clock. "JARVIS, don't sound the alarm." It was two minutes from 9:46.

Steve, Clint and Bruce looked between each other, all with a mix of emotions nobody could describe. 

A determined look settled on the supersoldier's face. "Tell us everything."

And so they did. They told them about the first day, about how Helka said they were her favorites. Then they told them about the day after that, when Steve died. And they told them about all the days after that with all the other countless deaths. 

They told them about Tony's suicide, about every damn thing that happened, but they knew it would do no good. They knew they would wake up again tomorrow and they would have to explain it all over again. 

By the time they were finished, the other three looked sick to their stomachs. "Jesus Christ." Bruce mumbled, his gaze stuck on the counter. 

"You want to know my favorite part?" Natasha asked, a small deranged smile flickering on her lips. 

"Huh?"

"Thor will be here tomorrow to help." She quoted, shaking her head. "Tomorrow never comes, but tomorrow Thor will be here." 

The others tried to help, they tried to come up with solutions, but they didn't suggest anything they hadn't already tried before. 

When the day was close to ending, Bruce suggested a movie night, and they all agreed. When Clint chose Groundhog Day, Natasha wanted to smack him upside the head. 

But it ended up being one of the best loops, all of them surrounded by their friends and genuinely enjoying themselves. 

When the clock struck midnight, though, it all started over. 

* * *

They told them again the next day. And the day after that, and the day after that, but they never came up with anything new. They never found some magical solution, they never beat Helka, and they watched almost every movie Natasha could think of. 

She wondered often if this loop would be the only thing they would ever know again, wondered if they'd be trapped in it for all eternity, and she honestly hoped they'd die before that happened. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was gonna wait another 3 days to publish this but i don't have the self-control

Natasha started showing up to the fight again. There were only so many things she could do hiding around the tower, and taking her anger out on Helka sounded more and more appealing every day. 

So she got up in the morning and dealt with Clint's squabbling, and she ate Steve's stupid repetitive breakfast. Then she would go to Times Square and try to kill Helka. 

She tried something different every time. Guns. Knives. Grenades. Hell, even swords. Nothing worked. She even tried Steve's shield once, but not even vibranium was enough to defeat the Asgardian.

Sometimes they lived, sometimes they died. Natasha found herself not quite caring anymore. Someone would take an unrecoverable hit, and she would go to bed that night knowing she'd see them again when she woke. 

The amount of times she saw their unseeing eyes, though, it haunted her. The red in her ledger that she always tried so hard to wipe out just kept adding up. 

When she finally died, it was long overdue. On day ninety-four, she'd gotten distracted. 

Tony's suit had been damaged by Helka, something that happened often, and she'd looked away from the fight to look worriedly as he fell from the sky. 

It got her an energy blast to the stomach, not unlike the first time Steve died. The pain was fiery, burning like someone had thrown a lit match on her, but she didn't make a noise. 

She didn't seem capable of it, her hands clasped against the wound tightly as she gasped. 

Every breath was agony, tears flooding her eyes, and she could hear her teammates' shouts for her, could hear them begging for her to respond, but her mouth wouldn't form words. 

As blood seeped through her fingers, pooling under her, a horrible dread filled her. Tony had fallen, and he wasn't shouting for her. That meant he was dead. 

And she thought about their pondering, thought about how they both wondered if their deaths would end the loop, and she was scared. 

She didn't want to be dead. She didn't want to loop to stop now. Tony couldn't be gone for good, not without knowing. Natasha gasped out a sob. 

It struck her when the blast had first hit her, and she knew it was true to her very core. Closing her eyes and feeling tears mix with blood, the redhead prayed to God that the loop wasn't over, not yet.

* * *

"It was in a box that said my name!" Clint shouted, and Natasha could've sobbed. 

"Nat." Her best friend whined after a few moments, and the spy realized she hadn't moved at all, just smiling stupidly at the ceiling because she was _alive_. 

Nat climbed out of bed and ran down the hallway, skidding to a stop in the kitchen. 

"I'm not your mother, Clint." She gasped, her attention immediately locking onto Tony, whose face flooded with relief when he saw her. 

Clint was about to continue complaining, she knew that, so she spoke, not giving him the chance. 

"I love you." 

Clint's mouth dropped open, and she assumed Steve and Bruce's faces were similar. 

"W-What?" Tony squeaked, eyes wide. 

"I love you. I'm in love with you." Natasha breathed, stepping closer to him. 

He was across the floor in seconds, slamming his lips against hers before anybody could say another word. 

The agent kissed him like she'd never kissed anybody else, wrapping her arms around him and letting him pull her impossibly close. 

"What the fuck." Clint whispered. 

The pair finally pulled apart. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to say that." Tony murmured, breathing shakily. 

Natasha laughed brightly, shaking her head. Maybe the time loop wasn't over, but at least he knew. At least they were alive. 

"I love you too, by the way. You fucking idiot." The billionaire added, glaring at her. 

"Why am I an idiot?"

"You got yourself killed!" His tone was full of exasperation. 

"So did you!"

 _"Yes!_ " The Avengers all spun at once, spotting Helka jumping up and down excitedly in the living room. 

"Bitch!" Tony snarled. 

The Asgardian ignored him, clapping happily. "Yes, yes, yes! Finally! My favorites!"

The realization hit them both at once, before a flash of light enveloped them all.

* * *

"-the fuck?" A familiar voice was crying. 

Natasha inhaled sharply, her eyes flying open. It felt too good to be true. "JARVIS, what day is it?" She asked shakily. 

"It is Thursday, June 19th, Agent Romanoff." He replied helpfully, and Nat started laughing. 

The redhead laughed so hard her side started to hurt, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Agent Romanoff, are you okay?"

Her laughter subsided eventually, taming to just a small smile on her face, and she got out of bed. "Call me Nat." 

"Of course, Nat." And something like hope filled her. 

"Natasha!" It was Clint calling her name, and she left her room slowly, trudging down the hall. 

She didn't smell eggs or bacon, nor did she smell pancakes, and she could've cried in relief. 

Her friends all stood in the living area, talking a hundred words per minute. Tony's hands were in his pockets as he gave her one of the largest smiles he could muster. 

"They remember. They remember it all." 

Immediately, they began to shout, all of them. They talked about their various deaths, the same breakfasts, and most of all, Clint's fucking donut. 

"Let's go for breakfast." Natasha said, and though it was worded like a suggestion, they all knew otherwise. 

"Donuts?" Tony asked, a smile firming on his face.

And they got their donuts. Thor returned to Earth and successfully captured Helka, and Steve didn't make bacon, eggs and pancakes. 

Because it was finally tomorrow. And maybe Natasha held Tony a little closer when Wednesdays came around, but they were okay, as Thursday always came after.


End file.
